Respect
by xMYxDAYDREAMx
Summary: Based around the time of Emma's bullying allegation against Gina....don't worry I'm not completely Emma biased....if you read then please review ta xxxpip
1. Easing The Pain

"PC Keane do you actually mean to tell me that THAT is an acceptable way to behave in front of new recruits!" Gina shouted, referring to Emma's actions which led to them having to drop a credit card fraud case against a well known con's wife. "You haven't been pulling your weight recently, although you are showing both Beth and Sally a perfect example of how not to behave. Showing up late, hung over and in need of a serious attitude adjustment will get you up on a disciplinary sooner than you think." Gina finished nastily.

She took a step closer to Emma who was still fixing her gaze firmly on the floor. "Do you understand me?" She said, her words dripping with sarcasm. Emma flinched and backed herself into the wall, her worried eyes flashing around the room looking for an escape. Her lip quivered as images of the many violent encounters with Matt flooded through her mind.

"Oh don't even bother with the tears PC Keane 'cause I'm all out of sympathy for you. Get out of m y sight and take yourself off home, I can't have you working like this." Gina said harshly.

Emma turned and fed from the office. When she'd closed the door behind her, she sank against the opposite wall and several tears trickled down her pale cheeks.

"PC Keane…Emma?" Smithy said worriedly as he stuck his head around his office door. "Come in here a minute." He added ushering her into the room on seeing her tears. "Is Gina getting to you again?"

"She just hates me so bad." Emma replied softly, her tears falling faster now she was forced to think about it. Only a few months previously, Gina had been showing Emma a world of support and securing charges against Matt. Never once believing the evidence which had stacked up against Emma.

"I'm sure she doesn't hate you. You're just going through a rough patch and it irritates her that your performance as a good officer is suffering. She can't be seen to condone some of your current behaviour because then she runs the risk of the new recruits copying you. I know something else is troubling you…fancy sharing?" He asked concernedly.

"I…I don't know what you're talking about." Emma stuttered guiltily. "I'm fine I just hate Gina blaming me for…for…for everything." She added, trying to cover up her blunder quickly.

"Yeah yeah okay you don't have to spill if you don't want to." He said soothingly, sweeping her into a hug. She tensed, remembering how Matt had once done that ever so calmly, and then kneed her in the stomach. Smithy felt this and he released her quickly, backing away from the terrified figure. "Take care Emma." He said softly as she left the office.

Emma blinked back the tears as she put her uniform back in her locker and took a last look in the mirror at her swollen, red eyes and mascara-streaked cheeks. Wiping her face the best she could with the back of her hand, she left the changing rooms and disappeared out the back exit.

As she reached her house, she was glad she didn't live too far from the station as her tears were now obstructing her vision, making it dangerous to drive. After letting herself in through the front door she let out a sob and collapsed on the sofa, grasping the waiting vodka bottle and downing a large gulp straight. It burned the back of her throat and she was satisfied by the pain. She couldn't undo Billy's death but she could ease the hurt by inflicting some of the pain up on herself.

Still crying, she reached under the sofa and picked up a photo album. She flicked through the pictures of her and Matt until she paused on one where Emma and Will and Lewis were standing about chatting animatedly while Matt was scowling with his arm wrapped protectively round her. That was Matt all over; he didn't get her friendship with the guys. Everything was sinister so he had to be in control. Always in control.

Her breath caught in her throat as she tried to suppress the awful memories of the many times he had inflicted severe pain on her. One particularly horrible beating flashed in front of her eyes and she shrank back into the sofa as though it was all happening again.

She'd picked up the phone while speaking to Matt as a new message had been received. "Pay attention when I'm talking to you." He'd commanded but still she didn't look up. "I said pay attention!" He screamed striking her hard on the side of the face with the palm of his hand. Emma whimpered, clutching her raw cheek as he snatched the phone from her hand.

_Hey Emz tonight was good we should do it again soon. See you tomorrow for more of the same? Love ya xxWill_

A thousand possible scenarios whizzed through Matt's mind but they all mounted up to the same thing. Emma had been meeting up with Will behind his back and that warranted a punishment. Sinking his foot into her side she collapsed on the floor and lay looking up at him. Matt showed little mercy at the best of times so he did not respond to her silent pleas.

"I…trusted…you." He said menacingly between kicks. Emma remembered little else about that encounter as she'd passed out shortly afterwards and woken late the next morning in the same position and with bruised ribs. Something as innocent as coffee with a few friends could turn so easily into the fuel for a violent argument with Matt. She didn't know what to do any more…she just didn't know.

Emma shook herself back to the present and downed another glass of wine, having almost finished the vodka. A wave of nausea brought her shakily to her feet and she crawled upstairs to the bathroom. Sitting in front of the toilet she retched bringing up some of the alcohol which if she thought had burned badly enough on the way down, it was nothing compared to the pain felt when choking it back up.

Emma sat being sick almost continuously for half an hour before she coughed again and choked up blood. Terrified by what she saw, she scrambled around for her phone. As she reached out she felt a hot, sharp pain shoot through her side as though she was being stabbed and she collapsed on the floor shaking violently.

Through the pain she managed to close her fingers around her phone and dial 999. "Ambulance." She said breathlessly to the operator.

"Can you tell me what's wrong please?" A cheerful voice said over the phone.

"My n…names PC Emma Keane from S…Sun Hill. I…I've been sick for over 30 minutes…oww…non stop." Emma panted, the pain in her side getting worse. "L…last time I coughed up….blood and it feels like…like I'm being stabbed in the side. I'm shaking and…and I can't stand…" Emma cried.

Feeling the contents of her stomach rise again, she was sick once more before passing out on the carpet, leaving the worried girl listening on the end of the phone.

**A shortish fic from me...will only be a few chapters please review if you want to see more of it...it does get happier so don't worry :P xxpip**


	2. To The Rescue

The young girl sat chewing her lip anxiously. It was only her first week in the job, she was inexperienced and not used to calls like this but her instinct kicked in and she re-read the transcript she'd been typing. The girl…Emma was a police officer…she had no address written down for her. Something bad could be happening as these precious seconds ticked away. Louise tried again but failed to prompt a reaction from Emma's side of the conversation.

Reaching over to the next desk she picked up the phone handset and hit the number 7 speed-dial which was picked up by an officer at the front desk.

"Hi I need information…quickly!" Louise exclaimed as she was asked if they could help her. "I…I work at the ambulance call centre, my name is Louise Kendal. A girl called Emma…Emma Keane just phoned in, her symptoms sounded severe, she didn't give an address but said that this was her place of work. She's not on records here…I desperately need an address to send the ambulance to!"

"Wow okay calm down love, Emma's address is 46 Wellbank Terrace." Will replied quickly, his mind already spinning horrifying stories about what was wrong with Emma. He sat feeling completely useless as he heard Louise direct the ambulance to Emma's. "What did she say was wrong?" Will asked as soon as she put down the other phone.

"I…well she said that she'd been sick constantly for over half an hour but was now bringing up blood. That…well it can't be good." Louise replied glumly.

Will thanked her profusely before clearing the reception desk and racing out to his car. In record time his car was pulling up outside her house but as he started up that path the paramedics emerged with Emma on a stretcher. She was deathly pale and there seemed to be no fight left in her. As they bustled by he heard one medic say to the other, "faint pulse…she'll need the oxygen…and fast!"

After flashing his warrant card at them he stepped into the house, immediately noticing the change in it since the last time he'd dropped by. Her shoes were left scattered by the door and the jacket she'd been wearing was lying crumpled at the bottom of the stairs. He walked into the living room and saw the vast amount of empty vodka and wine bottles littering the coffee table and floor. Will picked up her keys and locked the front door behind him before making his way towards the ambulance.

"I think she's been drinking...heavily." He admitted to the paramedics as they looked at him for an explanation. "Can I follow you to the hospital?" He asked tentatively. On getting the answer he wanted he tailed the ambulance to St. Hugh's and then followed a nurse's instructions to get to Emma's ward.

A very small doctor approached him. "Hello I'm Dr Sophie Bentley I was told to expect you…PC Fletcher isn't it." She said, shaking his hand. "Emma's being prepared for surgery as we speak. At the moment we are unclear about how came about although we are certain one of her kidneys has gone into immediate failure. Her blood is being tested but from what you said we're expecting a high level of alcohol to be present." Sophie said seeing Will's distracted appearance.

"Is…is it looking good?" He asked hopefully but on seeing Sophie's reaction his face fell and he sighed heavily. "She'll be a while right?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah…sorry…it seems we may have to remove the kidney and well…she's pretty fragile so it will take longer than is usually expected. Leave your number at the desk over there and if anything changes I'll give you a ring." She replied kindly as she watching his defeated expression.

Will jotted down his number and drove back to Emma's place. He kicked her shoes into some sort of order and hung up her jacket before proceeding upstairs. He stopped short at the top of the stairs, on the verge of entering her bedroom. It didn't feel right to be here without her permission, without her. Even though those thoughts kept nagging in the back of his mind, he pushed his way in and surveyed the tidiness in front of him. She'd obviously not been spending much time in this room as it was immaculate all except for the ruffled bedclothes.

Kneeling down in front of her chest of drawers he searched through them and produced a pair of jeans, two pretty t-shirts and a wrap around jumper. Then standing up he opened the top drawer. He rested his elbows on top of the dresser, trying to choose appropriate looking underwear for Emma while attempting to banish the images of her wearing it from his mind. In the end he picked out a white bra with cherries on it and some matching shorties. Still blushing although no one else was in the room he turned his back on the drawers and picked up a pair of pyjamas that were sitting on a shelf in her wardrobe. He added these to the bag and went through to the bathroom to fetch her toothbrush and other items.

Will sat down on her bed and looked carefully at the nightstand. On it was an alarm clock, a book and several photos in frames. After packing the clock and book he took a closer look at the pictures, one was of herself and Honey hugging each other and giggling up at the camera while the other was of himself and Emma. They too had their arms wrapped around each other but he was pressing a kiss to her forehead. He loved how natural it looked, neither had even noticed the photo had been taken, there was nothing in the kiss, it was just a friendly gesture although both wished it could have been more.

He managed to shake himself from his reverie and he picked up a blanket and cuddly toy from between the pillows and threw them in with the clothes and books also. After dropping the bag off at Emma's ward he returned sheepishly to the station.

As he passed Gina's office she called out to him. Standing behind her desk with her arms crossed in front of her she scowled at him. "And where may I ask have you been for the last two hours PC Fletcher!" If I remember correctly I did not give you permission to go wandering off." She said coldly.

"I…uh…I'm sorry ma'am but I…I went to see Emma." Will said breaking eye contact.

"The girl's already wasted enough time and police resources today with out having you disappearing at her beck and call as well you know." She replied rolling her eyes.

"But…but ma'am she needed help I had to go and see her." Will muttered frowning.

"Oh what's the stupid girl gone and done now!" Gina said irritably. She was already hacked off with Emma and with every word spilling from Will's mouth, she was getting more and more wired.

"She…she's in hospital having surgery. She slipped out of consciousness while on the phone to the ambulance call centre…they didn't have her address so they called here. I answered it and went to see her. They…they think it's kidney failure, they might have to remove one completely." Will stuttered, the emotions he was feeling finally reaching the surface.

"Oh my god." Gina breathed. "How did that happen?"

"They…well I think she'd been trying to drink herself into unconsciousness…she's been really low recently. I just don't know." Will said as Gina tutted disapprovingly. Once he was dismissed he stopped outside an interview room further down the corridor. He was beginning to see what Emma meant by the Inspector behaving unfairly towards her.

**Guh another chapter up...I'll start writing more of it soon...I'm just a little snowed under with all the other ones I've started and forgotten about. I need to make a new, new years resolution starting today. I'm not gonna start another fic until I finish five existing ones lol! read and review ta xxxpip**


	3. Push And Pull

Emma stirred and her eyes fluttered open. The crying she had done last night was taking its toll and her poor eyelids stung with every movement. Reaching out for the rail beside her bed she pulled herself into a sitting position. She rested a hand on her aching stomach, feeling like she'd been turned inside out, through the flimsy fabric of her hospital gown she felt the padding of a bandage and shifted the covers to get a better look. When she pressed a finger gently on top of it, she felt her stomach churn and was promptly sick all over the bed covers.

A nurse entered the room with a stack of clean sheets and a damp cloth. Emma was now lying back on her pillows dejectedly so the nurse bustled over and peeled the sheets off the bed, depositing them in the wash bin at the side of the room. In a motherly way she eased Emma into a sitting position before tugging the hospital gown over Emma's head and then fishing around in her bag she produced Emma's pyjamas and helped her into them. "You need me again Emma sweetheart then you just shout for Adele or hit the button by your bed." She said kindly as she wiped round Emma's mouth with the cloth. Emma managed a weak smile and Adele left, giving her a sympathetic look over her shoulder.

Will arrived shortly after and stood looking through the doors at the girl he loved, lying broken on her hospital bed. She was staring off into space with a blank and sedated expression on her face. Her eyes were dark and had tears shimmering in the corners, threatening to spill over.

Emma was too preoccupied with her own thoughts to even notice Will standing watching her. The steady pattern on the screen of her heart monitor was hypnotic and she saw everything blur into one so she shook her head and looked up spotting Will at last. She desperately wanted to smile and wave at him but the battle in her head was won by the new Emma and she averted her gaze and pretended like she hadn't seen him.

Will felt a pang of sadness pass through his chest as he saw her fighting the losing battle against herself. Pushing against the heavy swing door he stepped inside and took a few steps closer to her bedside. Sitting down heavily on the plastic chair he took hold of her hand.

Her eyes momentarily flicked up to connect with his and he saw the pain and upset reflected back in them. "Why did you do it?" He whispered to her as she broke the eye contact again. She let out a little sob and turned her back on him.

After the uncomfortable silence had lasted for at least 10 minutes he rose to his feet. "Take care baby." He murmured before disappearing through the big swing doors. Emma wondered how long it would be until she saw him again. She so badly wanted to tell him why she'd done it, why she needed to block it all out and drown herself in misery. But she just couldn't, she was battling head on with her broken pride and for the moment at least it was still winning. She didn't blame him for leaving, she just wished he hadn't.

Will bumped into Dr Bentley as he was walking down the ward. "Oh hi!" He said steadying her with a hand on her arm. "How is she doing?" He asked worriedly.

"Well the surgery went well. Her kidney couldn't purify the blood because of the excess of alcohol. It began producing too much poisonous material for her body to cope with and as such most of the nephrons went into immediate failure." She said, babbling slightly.

"Uh one question…what's a nephron?" Will asked screwing up his face.

Sophie just giggled and waved her hand dismissively. "Sorry…it doesn't matter, she'll be fine now. You can lead a perfectly normal life on one kidney. It's how she's doing emotionally that's worrying us. She hasn't spoken to anybody yet; she refuses to let us contact someone for her. Only Adele has been able to connect with her…you didn't have any luck did you?" Sophie asked, getting worried again.

"No…" Will replied shortly before turning his back on Sophie and walking through the ward doors and out of the front of the hospital.

When he arrived at work he was hauled into Gina's office even before he had a chance to put his uniform on. He sat opposite Gina and twiddled his thumbs as they just sat and looked at each other for a few minutes.

"Is…is she okay?" Gina asked eventually, unwillingly letting her voice crack and show her concern for the PC who had recently been causing her so much trouble.

"Um physically yeah she's on the mend but…but she hasn't said a word yet. It's not like her to keep it all in…she used to confide in me but she wouldn't even say hi to me this morning. I'm worried about her Gina…really worried about her." Will murmured, a tear or two dripping down his cheeks.

Gina got to her feet and rested a hand comfortingly on the side of his face. "Hey, look at me. She'll be just fine, don't you worry about it." She said with as much compassion as she could muster.

Will smiled at Gina and left the office feeling considerably happier. He bumped into Sally as she was coming the other way and was concentration on balancing a stack of files. They collided but before the folders could leave her hands, Will had grabbed them and only handed half the pile back to her.

"Oh thanks Will." She said, quite surprised that he was helping her. "How's Emma?" She added, being one of the few people who knew that she'd been rushed into hospital.

"She'll be fine…she just needs to sort out some stuff in her head. Thanks for covering for me yesterday anyway." He replied, smiling over the pile of paper at her.

"Not that it did much good. I heard she noticed anyway and you got in trouble." Sally said worriedly.

"Chill out doll, she understood…anyway you tried and I appreciate it." Will grinned as they reached the Inspector's office. Once he'd deposited the stash of files on the desk and clapped Sally on the shoulder he left the room and headed off to catch up on paperwork.

Sally and Gina began work on their assault case but half way through the morning they received a call saying that the victim had regained consciousness so they traipsed off to the hospital. As she was letting Sally lead the interview, Gina let her mind wander and no matter how much she tried to refocus on something else, Will's worried words about Emma kept passing through her head.

"Err Sally I think you've got things under control here. I have something else to follow up here…I'll radio for Tony to come and pick you up in 15 minutes." Gina said.

She walked down the ward and through a set of double doors until she reached Emma's room. Gina stopped short as she saw a nurse was tending to Emma. When the drip in her arm had been refilled and her bandages changed, Gina entered the room to see the motherly-looking nurse Adele sitting on the edge of the bed stroking back Emma's fringe.

"You really should speak to somebody honey. Keeping it all inside can't be doing you any good. What about that nice boy who came to see you earlier? Couldn't you tell him?" Adele asked Emma gently who shook her head and let a tear slip down her cheek in reply.

Adele just nodded and sighed, giving Gina a smile as she walked past her and out of the room. Emma refused to acknowledge that Gina was even in the room. She turned over and huddled down under the sheets.

"She's right Emma. Pushing away everyone who loves and cares about you will do no good whatsoever." Gina said irritably. Another tear trickled down Emma's pale cheek and Gina's tone softened as Emma turned to face her and saw Emma's sore eyes and tearstained face. Sitting down on the end of the bed she patted Emma's feet comfortingly. "Why did you do it?" She asked, just like Will had earlier that day.

Emma bit down hair on her lip and frowned as she considered her answer. Several minutes later her eyes reconnected with Gina's. "Everything just…just got to me. I…I'd been feeling like it for a while but it reached breaking point last night." Emma said in what was barely a whisper.

"What's been getting you so down?" Gina asked in the same neutral tone.

"I…I think it started when Honey died…I mean she is…was my best friend. How do you get over something like that? And…and then Matt started controlling me and hitting me until I ended up in custody. Wh…when I came back to work it was like people were avoiding me…nobody wanted to come near me in case I broke down or something. I couldn't be the same person I used to be so I tried to be harder…and…and then everybody thought I'd shout at them the whole time. I…I just wanted someone to talk to…someone to give me a cuddle…" Emma said tearfully. "And…and you hate me so bad that I don't want to come to work any more."

Gina shifted uncomfortably in her chair. She had no idea that so much had been affecting Emma. "I don't hate you Emma…I just get angry when you don't do what you're told, or show up late. Since you split up with Matt your police work has suffered and I thought if I just tried to toughen you up and shake it out of you then you'd be back to normal in no time. I'm sorry if I've caused you so much upset…I really didn't mean to." She said in defeat.

"It's not your fault…I…I thought you blamed me for…for Billy dying." Emma replied, tears sparkling in her eyes.

"Billy? No of course not…I was maybe a little harsh with you at the scene…Nikki and Sally were in no fit state…I didn't know my questioning would hurt you. I didn't you you'd been affected by his death. I'm sorry Emma, really I am." Gina said.

"No you shouldn't be sorry it was my fault, my problem. I never should have made that bullying accusation against you. You were only doing your job." Emma said, still tearful.

"Oh come here you softie." Gina replied putting out her arms and to her surprise Emma fell gratefully into them. When they broke apart Emma sniffed and smiled at her.

"You know what…when HR said no action would be taken I was happy. I didn't want to go through with it but Heaton said he had no choice. Can we put it behind us?" Emma asked hesitantly.

"Of course we can. Now you take care of yourself Emma. I might pop in tomorrow if you're still here." Gina replied, smiling at Emma from the door.

Emma grinned back and snuggled down into her pillows. For the first time in months she fell into a deep sleep with a smile plastered across her face.


	4. What Can I Do?

Will stepped out of the lift and wandered up the ward until he reached Emma's solitary little room at the end. Apprehensively he pushed all his weight against the heavy door and stepped inside.

Emma was sitting up in bed, looking a lot better and flicking through a trashy magazine. She heard the door open and instantly her eyes flicked up but to his dismay they flicked back down again almost immediately. Taking up a seat by her bed, he prepared himself for a visit much like the one he'd had previously that day.

For a few minutes she let them sit in silence. Then slowly, carefully, she reached out her hand for his and she looked up at him. "I'm sorry for this morning…I'm sorry for the way I've been acting recently…I'm sorry for everything." She said hollowly before returning her vision to the floor.

Will leant towards her. "Sweetheart, you have nothing to apologise for. You were upset this morning, I don't blame you and as for how you've been acting recently I mean everyone goes through bad spells, I just wish you could have talked to me about it rather than let it get this bad. Everything…that's a lot to be sorry for. I mean you're sorry for my older brother beating me up when we were kids, for my cat dying the day before my maths exam, for the fact that Inspector Gold gave me a bollocking because I showed up hung over for work last week?" Will replied softly.

Emma giggled and turned willingly back to face him. "I'm sorry for the way I treated you after we got together. I should have realised that it was you that I should have been with. I know I can't turn back the clock but I'm sorry for being a jerk." Emma said, still clutching tightly onto his hand as if scared he would slip away if she let go.

"Chill toots it's all in the past…but well if you want you can explain to me what happened yesterday…if you don't want to then seriously you don't have to. I just want to try and help you." Will whispered, leaning closer to her.

"Oh yeah um I got in trouble at work again and…and well Gina upset me. She sent me home and I just felt like I was drowning almost. Everything was weighing me down…Honey's death, Matt's abuse…Billy dying I had to get away from it all. So I drank myself sick and then when I was being sick I coughed up blood so I phoned the ambulance. I think that was when my kidney failed…I got a sharp pain in my stomach and then I passed out. The next thing I know…I well I woke up here didn't I!" Emma said resting her head back on the pillows behind her.

When she tilted her head to the side she saw a fear tears escaping Will's eyes. Reaching out she brushed them away with her thumb and then stroked the side of his cheek softly. "Sorry for making you cry." She murmured; mesmerised by the compassion and care that he was showing her.

"No it's okay…but…but why did you use alcohol to escape?" Will asked the question that had been burning inside him. Everything else made sense but that.

"I err…I don't actually know." Emma admitted truthfully. "I just wanted to pass out, to forget everything and well the vodka was there." She added bashfully.

"Okay sweetie, you don't have to explain yourself to me. Just promise me you'll try and talk to me about stuff instead of getting it all caught up inside you." Will said softly, linking his fingers through hers.

"I promise." Emma whispered back, patting the bed beside her. Will smiled and eased himself onto the bed next to her, resting his head on the pillow beside hers. The both lay facing each other, content just to watch, no words necessary.

Just as Emma's eyes began to close a disapproving nurse entered the room and informed Will that it was now three hours past visiting time and he really must leave. He got up off the bed and grabbed his coat from the hard plastic chair which he'd escaped sitting in. Then turning back, still under the nurse's watchful eye he leant over Emma and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "I'll come back and pick you up tomorrow when you can be discharged." He said quietly before kissing her cheek again and then backing out of the room with a little smile on his lips.

"Gina?" Will asked down the phone as he stood shivering in the hospital car park. "Yeah it's Will I was wondering if I could get tomorrow off…call it compassionate leave I'm picking Emz up from the hospital and taking her back to mine so she doesn't have to be by herself." He continued when he heard his superior's voice answer back.

"You're a right softie at heart aren't you?" She asked and Will could tell she was smiling even though he couldn't see her.

"Err whatever…but can I?" He grumbled, not particularly enjoying being called a softie.

"Yeah sure…tell you what you can have tomorrow and then the weekend off because you're supposed to be working then aren't you…yeah well take those three days and make sure you treat her well. Call me if she causes you any problems and I'll sort her out." Gina said jokingly. "Yeah…yeah I'm sure she'll be just fine. Good luck Will, give Emma my best." Gina added hearing Will's protests at the previous statement.

Will closed his phone and sat in the car for a while before driving off and shortly after he arrived home and began to tidy things up, ready for Emma coming the next day. For the first time in months he hovered and dusted and then washed up the mounting pile of plates and cups by the sink before going upstairs to bed, thoroughly exhausted.

The next morning he cleaned the rest of the house and made his bed before picking up his keys and phone from the coffee table and driving across to St Hugh's. Arriving there he greeted Sophie, Emma's doctor like an old friend and then made his way along to her room.

Stepping inside he turned around then quickly averted his eyes as Emma was standing by her bed in just her underwear with a t-shirt half pulled over her head. "Oh…hi Will." She said smiling at him as her head resurfaced from the t-shirt. "I'll be done in a minute." She added seeing him blush crimson. Then she turned back to the bed and pulled her jeans on, making sure that the waistband didn't catch on her bandage. Will smirked as she sat on the bed trying to get her foot up to tie her laces, eventually she looked up pleadingly and gestured to her shoes. "I can't tie them!" She said grumpily. "My tummy hurts when I pull my leg up!"

Will moved forwards and crouched down in front of her, beginning to tie her shoelaces. When he was finished he stood up still in front of her and drank in every detail of her appearance. If it was possible she looked more beautiful than ever. Although dressed casually she was stunning. Her bright white long sleeved t-shirt highlighted her features and the blue stones in her bracelet accentuated her dark eyes. Sliding down off the bed she smiled up at him and the golden streaks in her hair were reflected around the room in little glints of light.

"I've got to go and sign those stupid discharge forms now." Emma said, breaking the silence that had descended upon them. After signing 'those stupid discharge forms' Emma followed Will from the ward and walked quickly to catch up with him, slipping her hand into his as they reached the stairs. He smiled across at her and squeezed her hand gently in his. They wandered down to the car and Will opened the door for her. Sitting inside she struggled with the belt so he leant across and drew it gently across her tummy, taking great care to avoid the bandage.

Emma smiled; he really did care about her.

Twenty minutes later they were sitting out on his patio in the back garden talking without any of the awkwardness that being in the hospital brought. There was no inclination that she'd been in a state of semi-depression just a few days previously or that she'd spent the last day and a bit recovering from major surgery. Although she occasionally winced as she laughed when the bandages moved but every time it only made her giggle harder as the worried look that Will gave her was so comical. It was as though he wanted to wrap her up in cotton wool for the rest of her life. The second time she made to get up to go and refill her glass of water and Will stopped her she wrapped an arm around his leg and forced him back into a sitting position.

"Listen Will I'm really grateful for you having me here and there is no place I'd rather be and nobody I'd rather be with but you have to let me do some things for myself. I'm a big girl Will, I can look after myself…most of the time." She said, tagging on the 'most of the time' adding the bit of truth which proved to Will that although she did need him she didn't need him to do everything for her.

"Yeah I'm sorry I just got caught up in taking care of you. I just want to do it right I really want you to get better and…and yeah I'm sorry." Will mumbled sadly, afraid that he'd pushed Emma too far.

"Hey don't beat yourself up about it, I didn't mean to be that harsh…I just want to get my own glass of water silly!" She replied leaning in and giving him a quick one armed hug. "Come on why don't we go and do something…how about we go for a walk?" She asked him, already getting to her feet.

"Sure sweetie whatever you want." Will replied taking her hand and leading her out of the gate and down the path which ran along the side of the house. "West Canley?" He asked as they headed off down the road. "It's closest." He added as she looked at him thoughtfully.

As they wandered through the park they became chattier and it was almost like old times, before they had kissed, before Matt had elbowed his way back in and before all of the bad feelings. They stopped on the bridge over the stream and Emma leant on Will, yawning slightly. "You tired honey?" He asked caringly as she turned into him and nodded slightly. "Let's get you home then." He mumbled, tucking her under his arm and guiding her out of the park.

When they reached his house again he let her in and sat her down on the sofa, chucking her a blanket and the TV remotes. "I'll go make lunch." He said walking through into the kitchen. He came back ten minutes later with two bowls of soup and a glass of juice each. After lunch Will made to get up and mentioned that he was going to make up the spare room for her. Emma however got to her feet as well and no matter how hard Will protested she followed him upstairs and helped him dig the spare bedclothes out of the airing cupboard.

When the bed was made Emma flopped down onto it, pulling Will along with her and they lay looking up at the ceiling smirking at each other every so often. Emma quickly fell asleep and Will rolled in watching her shoulders rising and falling gently with each breath. He reached out a hand and stroked the side of her face and in her sleep she wriggled closer to him and mumbled to herself. Brushing her hair out of her eyes she woke up and looked around in confusion. "Um…what happened…why did we end up here?" She asked, her eyes flashing with worry.

"Don't worry nothing happened, we were making the bed and then you fell asleep. I stroked your hair out of your eyes and you moved closer to me and woke up. You know you talk in your sleep don't you?" Will replied laughing.

"Oh um yeah Matt used to say I did. I didn't say anything stupid did I?" She asked casually.

"Yeah well that's for me to know and you to try and find out!" Will replied annoyingly, moving out of her reach so she couldn't hit him and promptly falling off the bed.

"Serves you right." Emma giggled, looking over the edge of the bed at him.

"Oi! That does it." Will said pouting before he got to his feet and picked Emma up, tossing her over his shoulder and beginning to walk downstairs.

"Put me down! Put me down! Put me downnnnnnn!" Emma shrieked laughing as she knew that he would do the very opposite. "Fine if your not gonna put me down then can you take me out to the car…I want to go home and get some stuff if you're insisting I stay here."

"Fine…but I'm not putting you down!" Will replied stubbornly as he walked out of the house with Emma still over one shoulder and he locked up behind himself. When he reached the car he had to break his perseverance and let her slide off to the side and get into the car. Emma smiled as Will drove quickly to her house; it wasn't like he needed to ask for directions!

She stepped over the doormat and looked around nervously. The last time she'd been here did really hold the best memories; in fact this house was built on bad memories. Emma smiled weakly up at Will and gestured towards the stairs before she ascended them slowly, trying to put off the moment she'd have to step inside her and Matt's old bedroom again. Pressing her eyes tightly together she walked in and then opened up. Everything was how she'd left it a few weeks ago when she'd attempted to get to sleep in there for the first time since Matt had been jailed. She'd tossed and turned and ended up crying herself to almost sleep before dragging herself through to the spare room and staying there permanently.

Walking over to the wardrobe she slid open the doors and sighed as she had to push aside all of Matt's clothes to reach her own. After drawing out her favourite outfits she stuffed them into her bag and then chose a few pair of shoes and other accessories and toiletries. Eventually she placed the bag at the end of the bed and stripped off because the clothes that Will had brought her were getting a little old now. Again standing in front of the wardrobe she pursed her lips and attempted to choose something nice.

Will meanwhile had been emptying the house of all the used bottles of alcohol. When he was finished, he washed up the dishes and straightened up the shoes by the door. Then making his way upstairs he stopped outside Emma's room.

Knocking quietly on the door he heard her yell, "Come in!" and he stepped over the threshold. She was still standing with her back to him, just in her underwear for the second time that day.

"Oh sorry I didn't realise you were getting changed I mean I'll go if you want me to." Will said in a jumbled up kind of way, almost tripping over his words.

"Chill out Will! Why are you so nervous to see my in my underwear? I mean considering how you've seen me before I'm pretty covered up!" Emma joked, turning to face him and seeing him blush again.

"I um…I don't know…I'm not with you any more…it's not right for me to see you like that if we're friends is it?" Will mumbled shyly.

"Well I'm fine with it so I don't see why you're not." Emma said softly, upset that he considered what was happening between them to not be 'right'.

"Emma I didn't mean anything by it…I just…I always mess things up don't listen to me." Will said despairingly and he slid down the wall resting his head in his hands.

Emma quickly pulled out another pair of jeans and a long grey sweater which she put on, tying the ribbon on the waistband of the jumper as she approached Will once more. Kneeling down next to him she lifted his head. "I'm decent now." She whispered before getting to her feet again and walking out of the door, only stopping to pick up the large flowery print bag which contained her clothes and shoes etc.

Will ran a hand through his hair and followed her back out the house. Why did everything he say turn into an insult or something that would hurt her? She seemed to have forgiven him however when they were watching Wire In The Blood and she curled up next to him during the gory bits! "The creepy stuff's over now Em." Will murmured and she peeked out from behind his shoulder. They sat in the same position for the next twenty minutes until a man held one of the detectives hostage with a knife to his throat. Emma gulped and turned away from Will, a few tears running down her cheeks.

"Sweetheart…Emma…what's wrong?" He asked in concern, quickly turning off the telly.

"I…It's nothing…I'm being silly it's just…that's how Billy died." Emma whimpered.

Will bit down on his lips, unsure of how to play it so he asked her. "What can I do?" He said apologetically.

"Cuddle?" Emma asked and he held out his arms for her.

"You don't have to ask darlin'." Will said softly as she rested her head on his chest and wrapped her arms tightly around him.

* * *

**For Emily because a) she's persistent and b) she cares :D thanks for the concern even though I'm convinced there's nothing wrong.** To everybody else who didn't understand the last bit READ AND REVIEW xxxxpip 


	5. Just Like You

Will opened his eyes groggily to reveal Emma sitting on the end of his bed smiling at him. Hastily he pulled the duvet further around him and then smiled back in return. "You alright?" He asked, a worried tone beginning to creep into his voice.

"Uh huh I just got bored…I've been up since 7." Emma replied wriggling up the bed to be closer to him. He reached out and put a hand on her arm only to pull away again quickly.

"Emma! You're freezing; you've got tonnes of goosebumps. Get under the covers…now!" He demanded playfully as he lifted one side of them for her to get under.

"Anybody would think you were just trying to get me into bed." Emma said jokingly as she cuddled into him, he still had that warm sleepy feeling and didn't object to anything that happened. They started off facing each other but soon enough Will reached out and turned her over, snuggling in next to her so her back was pressed up against his chest and his hands were wrapped around her waist.

"Warmer now?" He asked an hour later; having dozed off several times but this being the first time he'd woken up at the same time as Emma. She nodded back sleepily and pulled covers up around her neck. "Oi! Are we gonna lie here all day then?" He said poking her in the side (not the one with the bandage).

"Oww…no but I'm all cosy now…I don't want to move." Emma pouted like a child and batted her eyelashes hopefully at Will.

"God I bet you were a nightmare to get out of bed when you were a teenager." Will remarked rolling his eyes.

"Na…my parent's problem was who I went to bed with…" Emma said leaving the sentence hanging as she blushed, realising what she'd said.

"Huh…what?" Will asked quickly picking up on the slip of the tongue.

"Um my parents found out I'd slept with a guy when I was underage…they went mad and all that. Although they were pretty easily fooled…I lied about who it was and whenever I had a boyfriend after that I just said I was going round to my friend Kelly's house." Emma muttered, now a distinctive shade of pink.

"Hmm okay." Will replied running a finger down her cheek. "So you _were_ always a naughty girl!" He added, earning himself a jab in the stomach with Emma's elbow. A few minutes later the pair rolled out of bed and each went to shower and change, finally making the decision to get up!

They pottered around the house for the rest of the morning and ended up walking to the cinema after lunch to go and see the new Harry Potter movie which neither had had enough time off work to bother going to see before. Will bought popcorn and they sat contentedly through all the adverts, passing time by throwing popcorn at each other and seeing who could catch it in their mouth. As there were only a few other people in the cinema with them, they both took their shoes off and rested their feet on the seats in front of them. Emma wriggled further down in her seat as the movie started and Will placed his hand on top of hers on the arm of the seat which she smiled down at.

After the movie was finished they ended up in a restaurant called Viva Roma where they enjoyed a nice, relaxed meal together. Although everyone else around them was a couple, Emma and Will didn't feel out of place and both found the atmosphere calming as neither believed that they were 'just friends' any more.

"Will?" Emma asked after few minutes of silence.

"Yeah honey what is it?" He replied smiling over the top of his glass at her.

"Do you…do you notice something different?" She asked quietly, avoiding his gaze.

Will looked around cautiously and then his eyes came to rest on Emma again. "You haven't had your hair cut?" He asked worriedly, kicking himself for not noticing that something was different. Emma shook her head, a smile playing around her lips and she dismissed any further questions with a wave of her hand.

Still unsure about what had just happened Will took another long look at Emma. It was strange to think that for a few months after they first met that he'd never noticed quite how beautiful she really was. He'd been so busy getting to know her as a friend that he'd not stepped back and allowed himself to see her properly. Although it seemed that as soon as he could see her as more than a friend that she'd been just beyond his reach. Firstly there was the 'Matt problem'. It wouldn't have been an issue with some other people he knew but she had a boyfriend, who she loved and he didn't really want to destroy that even though his heart was going berserk. When he'd kissed her the first time and she'd responded, it was as though a balloon had inflated in his chest. However when she pulled away and said that she shouldn't have done it, the balloon popped with an enormous amount of force, leaving him shaken up for days after.

He still thought about the night they'd slept together. How could he forget it really? The fact though was that in the back of his mind, there was a niggling thought…had he taken advantage. There was no doubt that she had been upset, maybe even a little scared that night but she had kissed him first. She'd gotten up to leave but he'd pulled her back and asked her if it was what she wanted. Replying yes made him lean forwards and reinitiate the kiss, with more fire and passion than before.

Coming out of his reverie he blinked twice and looked back at Emma. She was dressed casually, her make up was simple yet stunning and her hair was floating against her shoulders, the strands of golden blonde radiating in the light from above.

They walked hand in hand back to Will's place. It hadn't started off that way…Emma had bumped into Will and her hand had slid conveniently down his arm until it reached his hand which she took hold of. They never let go, not even when Will opened the front door to the house and they walked through into the kitchen. He held her hand as he opened the fridge and took out a bottle of wine and he continued to hold on while he poured them each a glass and passed her one.

Taking the glasses out into the garden Will saw the apprehension lining Emma's face in the fading light. "Don't worry I'll only let you drink one. I wouldn't try to make you ill." Will said softly, pulling her down onto the warm grass next to him.

"Thank you." She mumbled back, sitting up against her elbows as she sipped the wine. When they'd both finished Will pushed the glasses to the side and they lay down, watching the sun set behind the shed at the bottom of the garden. She slid closer to him and rested her head on his rising and falling chest. He snaked his arm around her waist and let his hand rest protectively on her hip. "It's beautiful." She whispered as a pinkish glow lit up the sky and the clouds.

"Just like you." He replied turning his head to the side to look at her.

* * *

**This is for my special friend...yeah okay so you get mentioned so much with my fics and my profile that I think everybody probably knows who you are without me saying! Anyway this is for you because I know how tormented you're feeling right now. It'll all work out hun. xxxxPIP**

**oh and that is the end of this fic :D**


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